


Starfall

by bumbl3bee



Series: Stars Above [1]
Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, M/M, listen this series starts as angst and slowly moves towards crack by the fourth friggin book
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21556411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bumbl3bee/pseuds/bumbl3bee
Summary: Starkiller didn't want to kill any Jedi. It's just that he's broke and really needs the money, so against his better judgement he's gonna take this job. Track the Jedi to Bracca and capture her, no sweat.Oh shit, the kid they just picked up is hot.
Relationships: BD-1 & Cal Kestis, Cal Kestis/Original Character(s), Cal Kestis/Original Male Character(s), Cere Junda & Cal Kestis
Series: Stars Above [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553506
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	1. Prologue: Gaining A Bounty

**Author's Note:**

> This book is going to be angsty on Cal's side.
> 
> Cal is 17  
> Starkiller is also 17, just so we're clear on the ages.
> 
> Starkiller's armor looks like the Arkham Knight.
> 
>   
> _**This is someone speaking on a communicator.**_  
>  **This is Starkiller speaking through their helmet.**

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

A figure groaned, tossing and turning in bed as they tried desperately to ignore their comlink as it beeped.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

The figure must have obviously decided that enough was enough, because they turned and answered it, still laying down.

“Starkiller.”

“ _ **It’s about time you answered me, sleemo!**_ ” A nasally female voice shouted from the device. “ _ **Honestly, you’d think with all the credits I find for ya, you’d be a little more grateful.**_ ”

“You know what would make me grateful, Care? You not calling me at ass-o-clock in the morning!”

“ _ **Alright, alright, I get the picture, but this is important!**_ ”

“Important enough to wake me from my desperately needed sleep?”

“ _ **Yes!**_ ”

“Can you tell me what it is or am I just going to have to sit and wait-”

“ _ **I just got you a bounty that’s worth 1,500,000 credits.**_ ” The figure stopped their rant at that, bolting upright in bed.

“You’re kidding?”

“ _ **Nope! Get your ass over here now, before some other rat snatches it up!**_ ” The figure practically leaped out of bed, yelling a quick goodbye to their contractor. They ripped off their nightclothes and hurriedly dressed in their armor, bolting out the door before they even had it all the way on. A quick speeder ride found the person at the Bounty Hunter Guild Headquarters on Ragnar VII, home to the Ragnar Syndicate. Rushing by the other technicians, hunters, and workers, the hunter made quick time in getting to their contractor. Before the woman could get a word out, the hunter blurted out the first question on their mind.

“ **Who’s the acquisition?** ” The contractor laughed.

“Hold your horses there, Starkiller. This bounty ain’t no joke.”

“ **Just tell me who it is.** ”

“A former Jedi Knight by the name of Cere Junda.”


	2. So Maybe Deciding To Hunt A Jedi Was A Bad Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starkiller teams up with Second Sister and then breaks that team because of Soft Boi Cal. And guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**This is someone speaking on a communicator.** _   
>  **This is Starkiller speaking through his helmet.**   
>  _This is thoughts or speaking through a Force Bond._
> 
> All the gear I mention in this book is actual gear in the Star Wars universe that I found in the Bounty Hunter Code book.

Months of preparation for this job found Starkiller on the cold, rainy planet of Bracca, next to the Second Sister of all people. Finding out that Lord Vader had set the bounty was daunting enough, but working alongside two Inquisitors definitely made a jarring impact on the changeling. But the fact of the matter was that the Inquisitors were the only way to lure out Cere Junda.

Didn’t mean he had to like it though.

He waited at the end of a line of Purge Troopers for the line of scrappers to settle down. He caught sight of quite a few nervous looks, particularly on a redheaded kid who looked about his age. Starkiller dismissed it though, assuming that the nervousness was because of the Imperial troops. Two TIE-Fighters landed nearby, depositing both Second Sister and Ninth Sister, the Inquisitors he was to work with.

“Is this all of them?” The Second Sister asked, an unimpressed tone very obvious in her voice. Starkiller rolled his eyes behind his mask.

“Yes, Second Sister.” A Purge Trooper answered, his voice a low growl. The Inquisitor huffed.

“We seek a dangerous fugitive.” The Inquisitor began, her voice cool and haughty. “This is no common anarchist, but a devotee of the treasonous Jedi Order. Failure to turn in this traitor will result in a charge of sedition. Turn yourself in or everyone present will face summary execution.” The Purge Troopers got into position, guns set to kill, each one trained on a different person. Starkiller felt sick, but he maintained his indifferent pose so as not to clue the Inquisitors into his state of mind.

_They would really just-?_

_Of course they would,_ a little voice in the back of his mind said, _these are the people who slaughtered children so they wouldn’t have the chance of becoming rebels_

“I think it’s time someone came forward.” Starkiller snapped his head towards the being who had spoken up. He noticed that the redhead he saw earlier moved to grab something behind his back. _A blaster, perhaps?_ “I, uh, I-I’ve been working on this heap a long time. Way before the war. We refit and rebuilt ships. Best in the galaxy. Then came the Empire, and engineers became scrappers. The workers just started getting worked.” The scrapper scoffed.

“Prauf…” came a low murmur, so quiet that Starkiller barely heard it. It came from the redhead. The boy looked sad, and scared.

“But we all know the truth. We’re just too afraid to say it. To the Empire, we’re all just expendable.” While Starkiller couldn’t deny the truth to these words, he had to wonder what in the Force’s name this Prauf was thinking. _Why would you say that in front of an Inquisitor, you idiot! She can kill you for that!_

“Yes.” Second Sister agreed, grabbing her lightsaber. “You are.” She activated it, killing the scrapper in an instant, the bright crimson blade going through his body. That wasn’t what made Starkiller recoil. It was the heart-wrenching cry of “NO!” that came from the redhead that made the bounty hunter flinch. Following that cry came the sound of a lightsaber activating, a sapphire blade bearing down on the dual side of the ruby one. Starkiller readied his rifle, fearing a fight may start up.

“Look at this. A lightsaber.” Second Sister mused, not sounding at all surprised. She pushed against his blade, throwing the boy off and Force-pushing him into the hands of the Ninth Sister. The Inquisitor grabbed the boy by the back of his coat, holding him over the edge of the cliff.

“I found the Jedi.” She said. Starkiller rolled his eyes again. _Yeah, no shit._ The boy moved suddenly, striking out with his lightsaber. The Ninth Sister dropped him over the cliff in her effort to avoid getting her arm cut off. Starkiller sighed.

“ **I’m going after him.** ” He said, activating his repulsorboots and jumping off of the cliff as well. By the time he made it onto the moving train, the boy was slowly but surely making his way through all of the stormtroopers aboard it. He followed his progress, but made sure to stay out of range, knowing full well that taking on a Jedi face-to-face was no easy task, even though this one would have been only a padawan before the Empire took over. As the boy climbed the train, a ship pulled up next to it.

_Bingo._

Pulling out his rifle, he locked on to the hull of the ship, firing a Neuro-Savv XX-23 Tracking Device towards it. He watched as the device latched itself onto the ship and then proceeded to get the hell off of the train before the Jedi blew it up. He landed on a nearby platform, and made his way to where the Ninth Sister was waiting for him.

“This is where we split up, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again soon.” The Inquisitor just grunted at him, waving him off. Starkiller nodded and made his way over to his own ship, the Ravager. He took off, willing to do anything to get off the rainy planet. He hovered for a few minutes, waiting for his prey to make it out of the atmosphere. When they finally did, he locked onto the tracker’s signal, following the ship into hyperspace at a relatively close distance. When they finally exited, Starkiller found that they were in the space near the planet Bogano. _Not a bad hiding spot for a former Jedi. It’s definitely isolated enough._ He followed them down to the planet’s surface, landing far enough away that they wouldn’t see him on their scanners. Grabbing his gear, the bounty hunter approached the ship. He cursed when he saw the redhead with the Jedi he was after. _I really don’t want to kill a kid._ He waited until the boy was gone before getting closer. Activating his ultrasonic sight enhancer, the hunter watched as the Jedi paced the ship before walking out of it again.

 _Now or never!_ Starkiller fired a shot from his rifle. The Jedi’s head snapped towards him, and she dodged it with a grace only trained fighters had. _Yeah, didn’t think that was going to work._ He kept firing anyway, hoping to push the woman into one of his bio-cocoon traps. Surprisingly, it was working, and within minutes, Starkiller had the woman trapped. Pinning a motion sensor on the ship to make sure the captain didn’t try anything, Starkiller got closer, holding up his rifle.

“What do you want from me?” The Jedi growled, squirming within the trap’s confines.

“ **Did you know you had a 1,500,000 credit bounty on your head? The Imperial Security Bureau has you on their Most Wanted list.** ” Starkiller said, answering her question swiftly. The hunter ignored the rest of whatever the Jedi was saying, which he vaguely understood was a guilt-trip tactic, and called his speeder to to his location. He was so focused on ignoring the Jedi that he didn’t hear when the woman stopped talking.

He did, however, hear the hiss of a lightsaber activating, and felt the warmth of a blade at his neck.

“What are you doing?”

“ **Capturing an acquisition, what does it look like I’m doing?** ” Starkiller said, rolling his eyes.

“Cal, don’t!” The Jedi said, clearly trying to stop the kid from killing the Hunter. The woman turned her eyes to Starkiller. “You know, you don’t have to do this.”

“ **I took a bounty from Lord Vader himself. I’m not about to terminate a contract with him.** ”

“She’s right, though.” The boy said. Starkiller squeezed his eyes shut. _Damn it._ “You don’t have to do what they say. I know it’s hard, but sometimes we have to do what’s right.” Starkiller sighed and thought for a long time. Finally, he turned towards the boy, deactivating his bio traps.

“Well, shit. I’m already broke anyway, might as well go for it.” The boy smiled- _Holy Force, he’s adorable_ \- and deactivated his lightsaber. He extended a shy hand towards the bounty hunter.

“I’m Cal, Cal Kestis.”

“ **Most people know me as Starkiller, but I guess since I’m already rebelling…** ” The hunter trailed off, before removing his helmet, revealing a handsome face with dark, black eyes and even darker hair.

“My name’s Morrow. Morrow Sol.”


	3. Well, This Is Awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morrow talks with Cal, and the crew head to Zeffo to find out more about what Master Cordova was looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> __  
> **This is someone talking through a communicator.**  
>    
>  **This is Morrow talking through his helmet.**   
>  _This is thoughts, or talking through a Force Bond_

Randomly joining a crew you know nothing about is kind of awkward. The good news was that the Captain didn’t comment about his presence first thing.

“What is that?!” The little droid known to Morrow as BD-1 beeped in return, scuttling around on the seats. “Get off my sofa!” The bad news was that the captain was going after the droid Morrow had gotten attached to. The little droid darted around, beeping, before leaping off of the couch towards Cal.

“That is BD-1.” Cal introduced, looking down at the droid with a fond expression. “He’s with us.”

“I don’t care who he’s with!” whined the Captain, who was waving his arms around, examining the sofa. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to get oil stains out of potolli-weave fabric?”

“Not really.” Cal shrugged, wandering off to the nav-computer. Morrow huffed a small laugh.

“I hope you found something better out there than the droid.” The Captain fretted, brushing down the sofa.

“Well, we did find Morrow.” Cal commented. Morrow inclined his head.

“‘Sup.” The Captain’s jaw fell open.

“You brought a bounty hunter onto my ship?!” The Captain appeared to be at a loss for words. To be honest, Morrow did agree with him. The two Jedi probably shouldn’t have trusted him. _Who knows, maybe they could sense something about me?_

“Relax, Greez. We can trust him.” Cere placated, sounding absolutely certain about her decision.

“Oh, fine, fine, whatever. So did you find anything, or was this a waste of time?” Greez said. Now that Morrow thought about it, the name ‘Greez’ did sound familiar. He probably had an Underworld Bounty on his head.

“The Vault was built by an ancient civilization called the Zeffo. A Jedi named Eno Cordova hid something inside of it.” Cal began, taking a seat.

_Wait, what vault?_

“What did he hide inside?” Cere asked, taking a step closer to Cal.

“A holocron from the Archives,” Morrow whistled lowly. Those things could fetch a pretty price nowadays. “It contains a list of Force-sensitive children.”

“Sithspit.” Morrow cursed. “If the Inquisitorium knew about this, the whole galaxy would be having even more problems to worry about.”

Cere seemed to be of the opposite mindset. “The next generation of Jedi. I knew it! Ah, Cordova, you old fool.” Does she know him or something?

“You knew him?” _My thoughts exactly, Cal._

“Yes!” _Well, alright then._ “A long time ago. I was his apprentice. Cordova was a loner. That little droid and I are probably the only ones who know about Bogano.” _Not really. The Empire’s got logs of this place, but they’ve deemed it uninhabitable._

“Hold on, wait a minute, wait a minute. A holo-what?” Greez interrupted.

“A holocron.” Cere explained, her voice rushed and excited. “It stores information, but only accessible to Jedi.” She began to move, jogging towards a small cupboard on the ship. “Hang on, I think I have one around here.” _Holy Force, she’s got a Holocron?!_ After a moment of digging around, the woman pulled out a glowing blue cube. She reached out to Cal, handing it to him. “Use the Force.” Morrow leaned forward a bit, eager to see what it looked like when a Jedi used the Force. Cal took a deep breath in, and the cube began to change, the corners turning and floating into the air. The redhead exhaled sharply, watching as a holographic version of another Jedi appeared before the crew.

“This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi,” The figure said. “I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen.” Cal curled his fingers, closing the holocron. It landed in his palm, and he turned to face Cere, who now sat behind him.

“With that list of Force-sensitives, we could rebuild the Jedi Order and defeat the Empire.” Cere said, her eyes on the Holocron in Cal’s hands. _With that list of Force-sensitives, the Emperor could make an army of Inquisitors._

“Okay, no problem. Let’s get it.” Greez huffed, walking towards the pilot chair.

“Except the holocron is hidden deep inside the Vault and to get it we have to follow Cordova’s path.” said Cal, turning to face Greez and Morrow.

“It gets worse, doesn’t it.” Morrow deadpanned, reaching to grab his helmet off of his belt.

“He mentioned something about the planet Dathomir and a Zeffo homeworld.” Cal finished, looking back to Cere.

“Oh, great, I was right.” muttered Morrow, putting his helmet back on to scan his map of the galaxy to find information on the worlds.

“Alright, where are we going? I’m just asking ‘cause I was thinking of maybe making some food.” Greez implored, spreading his arms out wide, a sheepish grin on his face.

“Look, before we do anything,” Cal started, coming to stand next to Morrow, surprising the bounty hunter. “I need to know something.” The boy was looking straight at Cere, a soft yet determined look in his eyes. “How come you’re no longer a Jedi?” Cere sighed, breaking eye contact with Cal.

“I had an experience that…” She hesitated for a moment, the memory of whatever it was clearly painful for her. “Changed my perspective, so I cut myself off from the Force.”

“But you still want to rebuild the Order?” Cal asked.

“I believe that rebuilding the Order is the best chance we have against the Empire. What do you believe?” Cere replied, her voice steady, her eyes determined. _That’s a very good question, Jedi._

“I believe I can’t keep hiding from the Empire, so I don’t really have a choice.” The boy answered, his gaze turning away from the woman.

“Cal, as long as you’re alive, you will always have a choice. And you, Morrow? What do you believe?” _Don’t think you’re going to like my answer, but here we go…_

“ **I think that even with the Jedi Order, that won’t be enough to stop the Empire. You’re going to need way more than that.** ” Morrow answered, his helmet blocking the pair at the table from seeing his despair.

“There’s always hope. Are you two with us?” Cal exchanged glances with BD-1, and then looked to Morrow. The hunter nodded, and Cal turned back to Cere.

“We’re in.” BD-1 chirped his assent as well.

“Dathomir or Zeffo. It’s your choice.” Greez sighed, no small amount of dread in his voice at the thought of either planet. Cal moved to the nav-computer, surveying his options. Cal looked at Morrow.

“What do you think?” He asked. _Does neither work for you?_

“ **None of us are anywhere near prepared for Dathomir, so how about… Zeffo.** ”

“Ah, Zeffo. My favorite place.” Greez drawled, sitting in the pilot’s chair. The captain sighed. “When this is all over, I think it’ll be time to settle down, you know? Fall in love, start a family.”

“Love? You?” Cere teased. Morrow huffed a small laugh, coming to sit near Cal on the sofa, idly listening to the conversation around him. He noticed vaguely that Cal had his hands curled on his lap, as if afraid to touch anything.

“Yeah! You think a guy like me doesn’t know love?” Morrow raised an eyebrow at that.

“I bet you’re going to tell me.”

“So…” He heard Cal begin. Morrow turned his head towards the boy. “What did you do before this?”

“ **I was a bounty hunter, obviously. One of the best in the guild.** ” Morrow sighed, shifting to lay down completely on the sofa, his head facing away from the redhead. “ **I’ve worked with the Ragnar Syndicate for years. Ever since I was a kid.** ”

“I have been meaning to ask, but… How old are you?”

“ **Seventeen.** ”

“Really? Me too.” It was silent for a few moments.

“ **Were you a padawan before the purge?** ”

“Yeah. My master was Jaro Tapal.”

“ **Really?** ” There was a large amount of disbelief in his voice. “ **The Jaro Tapal?** ”

“Yeah.” The pair lapsed into a companionable silence after that. It was minutes later when Greez spoke to them from the front.

“We’re about to drop out of hyperspace.” The duo made their way to the front of the ship, watching as the blurs of light became still as the ship dropped. They watched the planet in front of them, a desolate looking place, with what appeared to be a very large storm in the area they were headed to.

“Heck of a storm brewing down there.” Greez commented, flipping a few switches. “This might not be the best time to land.”

“Something strange,” Cere spoke up, fiddling with the comms unit. “Those winds are interfering with our comms.” Cal sucked in a breath, clearly coming to a realization of some sort.

“Hey, Cordova mentioned something about ‘peace in the eye of the storm.’ Well, I can just make out a settlement in the middle of it.”

“Then we have to get there!” Cere said. Greez sighed, muttering under his breath as he prepared to descend into the storm.

“ **Oh, this’ll be fun. I’m gonna go strap myself in.** ” Morrow muttered, sitting in one of the last two chairs open. The ship sped towards the storm, entering the atmosphere in the thick of it. The cockpit shook, the force of the winds battering it harshly. Cal startled, either unused to rough flights or was very jumpy all the time. Morrow was beginning to think it was the latter, given who he had for a Master.

“Couple bumps ain’t going to kill ya, kid.” Greez laughed, before grimacing and murmuring: “Unless the wind picks up.” BD-1 chirped. “Can you tell that bucket of bolts to keep his opinions to himself?” Cal curled in on himself in the chair in front of Morrow. The hunter reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder. Cal turned and gave him a weak smile.

“I’m sure everything’s under control.” Cere said, a warning clear in her voice.

“Course it’s under control, it’s just a little tricky!” Greez shot back, arms straining on the steering. The ship turned, and in front of them was a small, mountainous cliff area. “Okay, hold on, hold on!” The ship slowed, and the landing gear opened, allowing them to make their rough landing on one of the cliffs. “Perfect landing! Greezy money, baby!”

“Uh huh, but I’m still getting a lot of interference on the comms.” Cere said, fiddling with the unit. “It’s going to take me a minute to get them back up.” Cal stood, BD-1 jumping onto his back.

“I’ll search for signs of Cordova in the meantime. Morrow, you coming with?” The padawan stated. Morrow stood and stretched his limbs.

“ **Might as well. Got nothing better to do anyway.** ” The pair headed to the ramp, gathering what they needed to keep warm on the snowy terrain.

“I’ll be in touch once I crack this!” Cere called as they exited. They wound up landing on one of the platforms. Idly, Morrow followed Cal, not really paying attention to anything, only tuning in when he needed to use his repulsorboots to jump to a higher ledge.

“ **So, what exactly are we looking for?** ” He asked after a while.

“Not sure. I’m just scouting out the area first.” Cal replied. They continued exploring Zeffo after that, eventually finding their way to an area that looked like an abandoned Empire outpost. Suddenly, there was a crackle of static in their ears.

“ _ **Cal, Morrow, can you hear me?**_ ”

“The Empire, they found Zeffo.” Cal answered in lieu of an actual reply to the question.

“ _ **If they were following the Mantis, we would’ve been swarmed already.**_ ”

“ **Wow, I am really glad I didn’t tell the Ninth Sister about the tracker I put on you guys.** ” Morrow muttered under his breath, relief at his earlier actions flooding him.

“Could they be looking for the tombs?” Cal asked, jumping up to another ledge.

“ _ **Let’s hope not. I just got our comms working. I’ll try the same workaround to crack into theirs.**_ ” They moved away from the base, working their way to a closed-up tunnel. Cal kneeled, extending his hand to touch something on the ground. Morrow watched with some concern as the boy’s eyes fell shut and he flinched away from something. Cal stood up after a moment, shaky from whatever just happened.

“ **Hey, Cal?** ” Morrow asked as they proceeded into the settlement.

“Yeah?”

“ **What was that?** ”

“I have this… ability that lets me see and hear echoes of events through the Force whenever I touch something. It’s called Psychometry.” The redhead replied, not looking at the hunter. _Ah, that explains why you looked afraid to touch anything back on the ship._

“ **What did you see?** ” Morrow asked, keeping pace with the padawan next to him.

“The Empire forced the villagers from their homes. Frightened refugees were shipped off to work camps… or worse.” Cal answered, pain and grief evident in his face. “It’s all lies. The Empire just wanted the land.” The duo slipped into silence after that, entering a cave near the settlement. Cal ignited his lightsaber, creating an effective light source for them. BD-1 chirped and leaped off of Cal, a recording playing from the droid.

“My friend, in the rotations since I left Bogano, I’ve uncovered more about the Zeffo than I once believed possible.” The recording shut itself off after that, and the droid led the pair to an underground room that was obviously created by the Empire. Another recording played, this time of a stormtrooper.

“In accordance with the Emperor’s will, we’ve occupied Zeffo, redistributing its inhabitants. This planet has failed to yield significant data or relics for Project Auger. Its electromagnetic winds have rendered the bulk of our mining technology useless. Meanwhile, more stormtroopers lose their lives to dangerous fauna. We will not be able to fulfill our directive here. It is my recommendation that we disband the project and leave a token outpost to keep scavengers from stealing our technology.” The recording ended there, and Morrow and Cal shared a look before turning around and getting out of the cave.

“ _ **Cal, Morrow, the Empire has pinpointed your location. You need to move fast.**_ ” Cere’s voice came through the comms.

“ **Sithspit.** ” cursed the bounty hunter, readying his blaster.

“On it. Thanks.” Cal activated his lightsaber, and both of them moved as fast as they could on the cliffside. Eventually, they came across stormtroopers, and without a second thought, they ambushed them, cutting them down with a lightsaber, or blasting them with a perfectly timed shot. Once the troopers were gone, they sprinted to an opening, in which they found a metal wall.

“We found something.” Cal said into their comms.

“ _ **What do they know?**_ ” came the reply.

“ **No mention of Cordova. I don’t think the Empire knows he’s been here.** ” Morrow answered, jumping up to a ledge, Cal close behind him.

“ _ **Then we have the advantage. For now.**_ ” Cere finished. As they made their way away from the outpost, Morrow could feel the wind picking up. Eventually, they caught sight of some ruins ahead of them, where a giant storm swirled inside.

“There’s a storm up ahead. Something about it crippled the Empire’s equipment. I can feel something pulling me there, beyond the storm.” Cal said to Morrow, his gaze distant. Morrow smirked under his helm.

“ **Then we’d better go find out what it is.** ” They made their way up to the ruins, and entered the storm. Immediately, Morrow could tell that this wasn’t a normal storm. The sky grew dark, and the wind only seemed to be affecting center area of the ruins.

“Never seen a storm do that before.” Cal commented. BD-1 beeped and whirled. Cal smiled, and extended his hand, slowing the swirling rocks and debris. “Yeah, it’s incredible.” They made their way up to an altar of some sort, and Cal looked at what appeared to be a metal grate on the ground. Stepping on it, it turned out to be some sort of switch, activating a lift that began to descend with them on it. BD-1 began to play another recording.

“My friend, I believe this to be the earliest Zeffo site we’ve uncovered yet.” cheered Eno Cordova’s voice. “Despite my reservations, I cannot chase the Bogano Vault from my mind. Its visions shaped the direction of an entire culture. I must understand why.” The lift came to a stop.

“We’re in the tomb. Its massive.” Cal reported, looking around the place in awe.

“ _ **And the Empire?**_ ” Cere fretted.

“ **No sign of them down here. **” Morrow answered, also enjoying the view.****

“ _ **What about Cordova?**_ ”

“Still not sure what we’re supposed to find.” Cal replied, exiting the lift and wandering about. “He’s a little…”

“ _ **Eccentric.**_ ” Cere filled in dryly. “ _ **Tell me about it. But he wouldn’t send us here for his amusement. Keep an open mind.**_ ” A loud alarm-like sound rang out around them. What Morrow though was a statue suddenly moved, coming right at the pair.

“Never seen that before.” Cal yelled as they dodged a blow. Morrow fired a bolt at it, but the shot just bounced right off of the armor. In retaliation, the statue fired shots at Morrow, who had to jump to avoid getting hit. Cal swung at the thing, his lightsaber barely making a scratch on the statue. Morrow fired another shot, this one landing right where what looked like a power core was. The thing stumbled backwards.

“ **Cal! Aim for the power core!** ” Cal grunted in acknowledgement, dodging another blow. The padawan jumped up and at the thing, his lightsaber going through the blue light of the power core and tearing the thing in half. The duo stood there for a moment, each boy catching their breath, before moving on, getting out of the room before another statue came. They eventually made it to the end of the walkway, where a crumbling wall stood in their path. Cal spaced out for a moment before murmuring under his breath:

“What stands in the way becomes the way.” Morrow didn’t comment, figuring that Cal might have just seen something. He was proven correct when Cal reared his arm back, before pushing forward harshly, the wall coming down at the power of the Force. “I did it.” Once inside the little room, BD-1 got down to the ground and started up a projection of an old man, who was looking at the wall before them.

“My friend, take a look at the details on this bark.” The man, who Morrow presumed to be Cordova. The distinctive striations. It can only be a wroshyr tree from Kashyyyk. It’s time to call on an old friend. If the Zeffo had contact with Kashyyyk, there is a good chance Chieftain Tarfful will know about it.” The hologram disappeared, and Cal turned to Morrow.

“I know where we’re going next.” The pair raced back to the lift, eager to tell Cere of their findings.

“ _ **What did you find?**_ ” Cere asked once they were in range of the comms again.

“The Zeffo went to Kashyyyk. Cordova mentioned someone named Tarfful.” Cal reported, watching the stone go by as the lift descended deeper into the ground.

“ _ **A Wookie Chieftain.**_ ” Cere mused. “ _ **They were old friends.**_ ”

“Think he’s still around?” Cal questioned, hope coloring his tone.

“ _ **There’s only one way to find out. We have to go to Kashyyyk.**_ ” The comms fell silent again as the air grew colder. The lift opened to reveal that they were in some ice caves, where the Empire had clearly been excavating. They slid down the caves, using the ice to make their travel faster. A half an hour later had the comms back up.

“ _ **Guys, we’ve got a walker firing on us and our weapons are down!**_ ”

“ _ **Is that them?**_ ” Came Greez’s voice. “ _ **Tell them that they better get their butts-**_ ” The captain was cut off by the sound of an AT-ST firing. The pair broke into a sprint climbing though the tunnels and into a derelict hangar that led out to the surface. As soon as they exited the hangar, the AT-ST turned to them and began firing. Morrow kept just barely out of range, keeping the walker distracted while Cal rushed closer, his lightsaber activated. _Force, I really hope you have a plan, Cal!_ And the boy did, as he began to cut through one of the walker’s legs, toppling it and killing the stormtroopers inside. They rushed up the ramp, closing it behind them as they entered the ship. Greez took off, getting the Mantis to the space near the planet. Cal and Morrow caught their breath and then entered the cockpit, taking a seat in their respective chairs.

“Nice work out there. You’ve got some real moves on ya. Ha!” Greez complimented, turning to face them. “Just tell me that this visit wasn’t for nothing.”

“We found the tomb of a Zeffo sage.” Cal explained, leaning back in his chair. “They definitely used the Force.”

“An advanced civilization of Force wielders who mysteriously vanished…” Cere mused, turning to them. “No wonder Master Cordova became so obsessed with them. What else did you find?”

“ **Before they disappeared, the Zeffo journeyed to the planet Kashyyyk.** ” Morrow said, removing his helmet. “Cordova had a Wookie friend named Tarfful. Maybe we can find him?"

“Kasyyyk, I-” Greez began, his tone filled with dread. “Look, things are really bad down there. The Empire’s muscling in on those Wookies big time.” Cal stood and lightly punched Greez on the shoulder.

“Then we’d better get ready for a fight.”

**Author's Note:**

> Care is pronounced Car-ay


End file.
